A progressive loss in the spatial resolving power of the eye (acuity) is associated with aging. Recent research has indicated that some visual abilities may be improved through practice. These studies have been conducted using relatively young observers, and the effect on older age groups is unknown. This project pursues several objectives. Psychophysical experiments will measure both standard acuity and contrast sensitivity functions for three target age groups (18-25 yrs; 35-40 yrs; and 55-60 yrs). These measurements will be informative in themselves in tracking the effects of aging on the visual system. Secondly, a training experiment will be conducted to determine whether or not practice in both detecting a visual pattern, and making fine discriminations between patterns will improve performance. Several questions are of interest, and will be answered in this research. 1) Is practice of benefit to all ages (particularly older age groups)? 2) Is any improvement specific to the training stimulus, or is it of a more general nature? 3) How is any improvement related to standard clinical measures of acuity, and to the contrast sensitivity function of the eye? 4) How enduring is any improvement? If enduring improvement is obtained for all age groups, this may have implications for maintaining better vision for a longer number of years of life.